Texas authorities have arrested nearly 10,000 people who crossed the border illegally in just two years — but the threat of legal action has not deterred the asylum seekers who are still entering the US in record numbers.
“They’re still coming through here,” Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said of the ongoing flow of new arrivals who cross the Rio Grande only to be taken into custody in cities such as Eagle Pass.
In 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star, which he hoped would curtail the number of new arrivals. Part of the mission allowed state authorities to arrest migrants who had just crossed the border on misdemeanor trespassing charges.
But while nearly 10,000 migrants have been arrested and charged with trespassing in two years, the number of asylum seekers has only continued to climb over the past two years.
Nearly a quarter of a million people arrived in November this year — marking the highest-ever November and third-highest monthly total on record — and December’s numbers are also set to break records.
“If anything, rather than being a deterrent, it is attracting more people,” attorney Kristin Etter explained of how asylum seekers view the threat of trespassing charges.
Because the misdemeanor offense is not deportable under US law, the majority of her organization’s more than 3,000 clients facing trespassing raps have been granted asylum, Etter said.
Abbott is now upping the stakes of his migrant policy with a new law going into effect in March 2024, which will allow state authorities to arrest those who enter Texas illegally and will give local judges purview to kick them out of the country.
The new law was penned by state Rep. David Spiller, who said he thinks border crossings would be even higher without the trespassing arrests.
“We’re doing what we can, but we’re only slowing down that process. We haven’t stopped anybody,” he said of the current policy.
Under Operation Lone Star, the majority of arrests are currently taking place in Maverick County — though Abbott has also suggested that Texas may start phasing out the trespassing charges in favor of illegal entry arrests that can be made anywhere in the state.
Patrol cars are parked every few miles on main roads leading to Eagle Pass, and Texas authorities are supported by troopers from Florida along the Rio Grande.
Texas’ border operation has resulted in over 37,000 criminal arrests, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Officers have prevented gang members, sex offenders, traffickers and others from entering the country, spokesperson Ericka Miller claimed.
“Had we not been there, all of it likely would have crossed into the country unimpeded. The state of Texas is working to send a message to those considering crossing into the country illegally to think again,” Miller insisted.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas waffled on Abbott’s policy over the summer, but said he supported the move because it brings more law enforcement to his city.
“Our force is not big enough to maintain the peace of Eagle Pass if we have 10-15,000 people coming through,” Salinas said.
With Post wires